Yukon First Nation builds residential school memorial
Ross River Dena Council's bronze prayer circle to be used for healing, teaching
CBC News
Posted: Sep 28, 2012 8:17 AM CT
Last Updated: Sep 28, 2012 9:06 AM CT
The Ross River Dena Council is building a permanent prayer circle at the Old Ross site with a central fire pit and a memorial plaque bearing the names of those sent to residential school. (Richard Herbert)
The Ross River Dena Council in Yukon has begun construction of a prayer circle memorial dedicated to members who attended residential school.
Dr. Richard Herbert, the project co-ordinator, said the permanent circle will have a central fire pit along with a memorial plaque bearing the names of those sent to residential school.
Four bronze drums will be placed along the four prayer directions of north, east, south and west, and the inner surface of each drum will have an image of children before, during, after and when healed from residential schooling.
The bronze memorial is intended to be used as a cultural venue for healing by survivors and their families, and for teaching children about the residential school system and its legacy. It will be located at the “Old Ross” site, where the Ross River people lived before Indian Affairs moved them across the river.
"Basically there was a forced relocation,” Herbert said. “People went out hunting in the fall and when they came back, their village wasn't there anymore. It had been pushed over by the government onto the south side that had access by road."
The memorial will cost $50,000 and is funded by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s commemoration initiative. The work is scheduled to be complete by March.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- A worker missing from Agnico-Eagle's Meliadine camp near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was found alive late Thursday night, after weathering a potentially record-breaking blizzard. more »
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- The Sahtu Land and Water Board has decided not to send a controversial drilling exploration project near Norman Wells, N.W.T., to an environmental assessment. more »
- Iqaluit man faces firearms charges
- David Kunuk, 41, has been charged with careless use of a firearm, improper use of a firearm and resisting arrest. more »
- RCMP crack down on road safety during long weekend
- RCMP across the north are using the Victoria Day long weekend as a time to remind people about road safety. It's part of a plan to make Canada's roads the safest in the world by 2015. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Rescue attempt over for New Brunswick fishermen
- The rescue attempt for two missing fishermen has been called off in New Brunswick, hours after one body was found. more »
- Spectator killed at Edmonton Jeep event
- A 20-year-old woman died Saturday during an event for Jeep enthusiasts held in a parking lot just west of downtown Edmonton. more »
- Astronaut Chris Hadfield adjusts to 'earthling' life
- Canada's space ambassador, Chris Hadfield, is still readapting to life on this planet after spending 146 days in zero gravity as commander of the International Space Station. For now, though, he's taking his homecoming one step at a time. more »
- Afghan legislators block law protecting women
- An Afghan legislator says conservative lawmakers have blocked approval of a law that aims to protect women's freedoms, saying parts of it violate Islamic principles. more »
- Bell Mobility to appeal ruling in 911 lawsuit
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- Eaglet hatches on Whitehorse nest cam
- Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, digs out from record snowfall
- Yukon Electrical launches eagle cam in Whitehorse
- Iqaluit man faces firearms charges
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- High Arctic research station saved by new funding
- 5 ways to camp to the max in N.W.T.'s parks
